Blogging for a Progressive South

As a once and hopefully future Southerner (I grew up in Athens, GA, until my father uprooted the family to the frozen north in pursuit of a teaching job), I admit to a slight tendency to be defensive at the willingness of much of the blogosphere to characterize the entire south as retrograde and conservative. (South Knox Bubba often seems like the lone dissenting voice.) Which is why I was so very happy to find the new blog Facing South, being published by the Institute for Southern Studies. Their mission is to "provide a space for Southerners and South-watchers to better understand the South, and kick-start the debate about prospects for progressive change in this fascinating region we call home." Sounds good to me. Their post on the connection between Abu Ghraib torture and southern prison abuses is a good example of why this blog will be worth watching. Happy reading!